Ink Bottles

[Old Hippie]

I was nerding out on pens lately and was intrigued by the Kakimori stainless dip nib. That got me thinking about ink bottles. I need some help sorting things out, there, as I haven't really been paying attention to the topic.

I understand that most ink bottles are good enough to keep ink in. However, I seem to remember having seen references to the bottles from this or that brand of ink that were really nice bottles for re-using with other inks because they made filling (or dipping) a pen very easy. What are some of those bottles? I'm interested to know more in a "deeply general" way -- that is to say I want more than just a cursory look but won't get much out of a deep dive just yet.

I figure a shaving forum is a great place to get educated by folks who can get excited about details without going all otaku about it. But hey, otaku is OK, too! Help an old man out. What are some excellent ink bottles, either ones that are sold with ink in them or ones that are made to be filled with whatever ink? Why do you like them? Are some better than others for particular styles of pen? I know there's a market, but I don't have the tools to sort out the details.

O.H.

 

[Legion]

I like the Mont Blanc bottle, with the little filler reservoir in the front. Good design.

 

[silverlifter]

Akkerman, with the marble in the neck is the most attractive and utilitarian design I have encountered.

Their inks, which are great, are rumoured to be made by Diamine.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

Namiki bottles come with a sleeve to help filling when ink levels are low.

Some of the vintage Pelikan bottles have front reservoir similar to the Mont Blanc bottle from David's post.

 

[Hawkweber]

I like the TWSBI Diamond 50 ink bottles.

They have a dual use feature. The cap is two sections. Unscrew the top (black) part and there is a little pipe that can be used to fill certain TWSBI pens and other cartridge converters without having to dip the nib and getting ink all over it. Unscrew the colored section for full access to the bottle which has a plastic inkwell insert. It comes in black, red, blue, and silver banding and only costs about $30.

 

[Legion]

They are not made anymore, but if you can find a vintage Sheaffer's bottle, they had a handy reservoir.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

They are not made anymore, but if you can find a vintage Sheaffer's bottle, they had a handy reservoir.

View attachment 2021793

I looked right at my Skrip bottle before I made my post a couple hours ago, but didn't take it out of the box, and forgot that it had the top-well.

 

[Heron]

Namiki bottles come with a sleeve to help filling when ink levels are low.

Platinum and TWSBI too

 

[Old Hippie]

Thanks! I had a mental image of the Montblanc "slipper" style. I went looking and seem to see that on the new ones the reservoir is pretty much straight up while on (I assume) older versions the reservoir is slightly angled (like the one @Legion shows above). I like that style! I saw a reference somewhere to the old Pelikan ones, but when I tried to find pictures all I got was a basic ink bottle.

I also saw the Akkerman ones. According to their website, their inks are emphatically NOT made by Diamine. Got the impression they're not too happy about that rumour.

That's a good introduction to ink bottles. I'll keep my eyes open; I know the empties pop up here and there occasionally.

Cheers, lads!

O.H.